Romeo and Juliet, The Royal Ballet Review 5*
Vadim Muntagirov and Fumi Kaneko raise MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet to a new level on its 60th anniversary…
In a lifetime of watching dance, many performances have, with time, slipped entirely out of my mind. Others remain as cherished, if sometimes hazy, memories. But a few have become imprinted indelibly on my mind and soul.
One such was The Royal Ballet principal Fumi Kaneko’s debut as MacMillan’s Juliet, almost four years ago, a performance of rare emotional impact beside William Bracewell’s tender Romeo.
I was, therefore, all agog to watch Fumi Kaneko’s return as Juliet in the current 60th anniversary run of Kenneth MacMillan’s masterpiece; an anticipation further fuelled by the fact that her Romeo would be her life partner, Vadim Muntagirov, another Royal Ballet shining star.
Charismatic dancers both, their on-stage chemistry as the “star-cross’d lovers” proved spine-tingling.
Debut performances by great dancers in big roles have a uniquely thrilling element of spontaneity, which is never repeated in subsequent performances. And so it is with Kaneko’s Juliet; but what she’s lost in spontaneity, she’s gained in the wealth of new detail she’s brought to her living, breathing character.
Her impetuous Juliet, driven reckless by the immense revelation of love, drives the action. At Romeo’s first touch at the Capulets’ ball, her dancing, up till then demurely contained, expands. She doesn’t know it quite yet, but it’s a dance of seduction, the moment when the girl blossoms into a woman.
Vadim Muntagirov as Romeo, Fumi Kaneko as Juliet in The Royal Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet. © ROH 2025. Photo: Tristram Kenton
Muntagirov’s Romeo is a pure, uncomplicated soul, his instant love translated into elegant, joyous dancing that follows the eloquent phrasing of Prokofiev’s near-miraculous score in the same way as his Romeo is prepared to follow Juliet’s lead.
The balcony pas de deux, when Romeo and Juliet declare their love, is simply breathtaking in their innocent delight in each other, negotiating MacMillan’s transporting yet tricky choreography with ease and abandon, their lifts soaring, the drawn out timing of their final kiss simply exquisite.
Vadim Muntagirov as Romeo, Fumi Kaneko as Juliet in The Royal Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet. © ROH 2025. Photo: Tristram Kenton
In her devastating grief at the sight of Romeo’s dead body, Kaneko’s Juliet rushes headlong towards her death, because she can’t bear to live one moment longer without him. It’s a truly heartrending scene.
The pure light of young love finds its dark counterpart in the role of Tybalt, which Ryochi Hirano inhabits with unusual power. His Tybalt is entitled, thuggish, ultimately murderous. A remarkable dance actor, Hirano’s stage presence and acute awareness of everything around him are utterly enthralling.
Ryoichi HIrano as Tybalt, Francisco Serrano as Mercutio and artists of The Royal Ballet in Romeo and Juliet © ROH 2025 Photo: Tristram Kenton
MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet is undoubtedly one of the jewels in the Royal Ballet repertoire, with Nicholas Georgiadis’ sumptuous sets and costumes evocative of Renaissance Verona, the codified life in its richly appointed palaces contrasting with the bustle of the streets, where harlots ply their trade and a lethal, hate-filled brawl can erupt at any time. Staged now by Laura Morera, its crowd scenes are newly infused with vibrant life.
Was everything absolutely perfect? No, of course not. I would have liked, for example, a little more spark and devilry from Francisco Serrano’s Mercutio; but this ballet is ultimately about Romeo and Juliet, and for me the Muntagirov/Kaneko partnership took the lovers’ tale to new, spellbinding heights.
© Teresa Guerreiro
(Banner image credit: Vadim Muntagirov as Romeo, Fumi Kaneko as Juliet in The Royal Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet. © ROH 2025 Photo: Tristram Kenton)
Romeo and Juliet starring Vadim Muntagirov and Fumi Kaneko is relayed live to cinemas nationwide on 20 March, with encore on 23 March. To find a participating cinema near you click here
Romeo and Juliet with a variety of casts is in repertoire at the ROH 4 March to 26 May 2025. Full info and tickets here